THR 19 Months Out - Weak muscles causing problems

[Jamie]

Recovery does seem to be going well when I think logically about it. I'm not quite 4 weeks out from surgery. But, even knowing all that I know about recovery, I am very impatient and think I should be doing better. My irrational brain says I should be strong enough to begin walking without the cane a little or at least not limping when I first get started walking from sitting or lying down. It's amazing how, when it's you, you think you're someone SuperWoman......I fight that daily!

I did water the garden for the first time today. It was very slow, but I was able to do it with sitting down in between a couple of times. We are not due for any rain at all in the next week or so and it's going to need watering. Our hot temperatures seem to be gone now and Fall has arrived. Nighttime lows are starting to dip into the upper 40's and I anticipate this will start to take a toll on the garden itself. Flowers should be able to hold on until the first real frost. If the garden takes a turn for the worse, I'll probably just harvest what is there (green tomatoes primarily) and pull everything up. It was looking a little ragged today as I don't think my teenage helper was giving it quite enough water this past month.

I am amazed at how well the okra did. The plants got over 5 feet tall and the stalks are a good inch in diameter. It looks like a tropical jungle. And it's producing lots of okra. If I had gotten the seeds in a month earlier when they were supposed to be planted, I'd have had a bumper crop. I can't wait to plant it correctly next summer and see what happens. I had planned to have enough okra for pickled okra as well as fried okra. But so far I've just fried it all and made myself very, very happy.

I can see that I would have been a much better THR patient in the winter when I wasn't so eager to be outside in the yard. Lesson learned. Both my knees and shoulder were done in February and that did work better. I just didn't want to wait until then for my hip as I think my surgeon would have retired on me.

 

[Susie-Q]

It's amazing how, when it's you, you think you're someone SuperWoman......I fight that daily!

Isn't that the truth!!! Funny how we tell everyone to slow down and be patient but when it's us we expect to be chugging right along and doing everything immediately!

 

[Jamie]

One other really funny thing. Even though my hip is weak and hurts sometimes and I need to walk with a cane, I still have a hard time thinking of myself as having had a hip replacement. This didn't happen with either knee or my shoulder, but for some reason I cannot picture myself as a "hippie."

 

[Layla]

I can see that I would have been a much better THR patient in the winter when I wasn't so eager to be outside in the yard.

I think the fresh air and sunshine has probably been good for you though, Jamie. As long as you're not overdoing it, the exercise most likely has been good also.

 

[Jamie]

I'm making slow progress with walking. I can do short spurts in the house without the cane and do practice that some each day. Of course, it's better earlier in the day when I'm more rested. I'm getting pretty impatient to lose the cane, but reality says it's probably going to be a while until I'm strong enough to do that. Even if I get along well in the house, I plan on taking it with me when I go out if for no other reason that to warn people that I'm not 100%.

Now and then the soft tissue (muscles) in my groin will get kind of achy for what seems to be no reason. But I'm sure that's a factor of some way I've moved. It doesn't last long and doesn't require any Tylenol in most cases. I do find I can pull my THR leg up enough to put on socks without the sock puller. That is especially rewarding. It makes getting my leg in underwear and shorts/pant easier too. Hooray! Small steps. Recovery is such a slow process.

 

[Sara61]

Aww Jamie it so good to read your progress, and you are doing very well, most joint surgeries ( unless emergencies) are usually done in the Winter months in Portugal, I think namely because of the heat, as people are more likely to take it slower in the Winter months and give their bodies time to fully recover.
Sounds like you have a wonderful bunch of caring friends, enjoy your outings it's so good that Toodie is slowly calming down in so much that she quietly stays in your room whilst you go out x

 

[Jamie]

Today was a major leap forward (figuratively speaking, of course).

I was able to get around most of the day in the house without the cane and walk fairly well. There may have been a very slight weakness to my right leg, but I wouldn't call it a limp, so I continued on to give myself the chance to get stronger. When walking in any type of straight line, I went slow and concentrated on the correct gait of heel-roll to toe with each step. It made me feel so good! And there was absolutely zero pain or discomfort. I knew there was a reason for me to capture my surgeon before he retired. By the time I get to 6 weeks out next Tuesday, I may be able to walk into the surgeon's office carrying my cane. Gee, I sure hope so!

The thing I'm looking forward to now in additional to the official okay to drive is to lose that pillow between the legs when sleeping. It's beginning to be a real bother and the dog thinks it's her toy if she can get her lips on it. Her favorite game is to nose bump it off the bed so Momma has to bend over to pick it back up again. Did I mention that she's a real brat?

 

[Mojo333]

So happy to see you are walking well... I was also a "functioning arthritic" for years prior to Surgery and didn't realize how bad it had gotten really , but walking without pain is so sweet.

 

[myglasshalffull]

Great update, like most dogs everything is something to play with!
Sounds like you are making excellent progress.
Enjoy the weekend.

 

[Jamie]

I was back on the recovery roller coaster today. For some reason, my leg was not as comfortable walking without the cane except just for very short periods. When it signals that - for whatever reason - it's my cue to go back to using the cane pretty much full time. Perhaps I overdid it a bit yesterday because it felt so good to be able to actually walk like a normal person. The ups and downs of recovery are in full force!

 

[lovetocookandsew]

Even you can end up in the ODIC.............lol. Don't fret, you're doing great, and an occasional day of freedom is worth the discomfort.

 

[myglasshalffull]

I still keep my cane in the car for uneven surfaces. I've come too far to risk it all now.
You are doing just fine and as you know this is a process. I had to come to terms with the whole patience thing but I somehow managed to let myself relax and let my body do the healing.
Certainly joined ODIC once or twice!
Stay well.

 

[Susie-Q]

We're all destined for that ODIC membership whether we want it or not!

You're doing great, Jamie!

 

[Jamie]

I saw my surgeon on Tuesday and he declared me to be doing just fine. I have all restrictions lifted now (well, except for bungee jumping and lots of running on hard surfaces) so I just need to go forth and do as I'm able.

I'm still using the cane, but having periods (especially in the house) where I can walk without it. Mornings are better than later in the day as my leg does seem to get a bit tired. It's great to be back to normal errands in the car and I notice that I now can get in normally without having to sit on the seat first and swivel around. I'm comfortable sleeping on both sides without my little contour pillow between my legs, but still sometimes take one 500mg Extra Strength Tylenol to sleep more comfortably. My dog gets me up every few hours to go outside, so I get plenty of opportunities to use the bathroom during the night. One of these days maybe my crazy pup will learn to do BOTH her "jobs" outside at the same time. She just can't seem to master this. But it beats her having "accidents" in the house while I'm sleeping....at least she wakes me up now.

I feel a little bit stronger each day, which is good. Of course, I'm still rather impatient and think I should be whizzing around with no cane. Typical impatient patient. I'm very happy with my new hip.

 

[lanstan]

I am curious why some doctors cement in the new hip and some are the cement less approach. Any articles about it?

 

[CricketHip]

Janie, you are doing so well. Especially considering you are living/recovering by yourself.
I think it’s nice for the forum members to see that you too, experience ups and downs tempered with impatience.
Keep up the good recovery fight!

 

[CricketHip]

I am curious why some doctors cement in the new hip and some are the cement less approach. Any articles about it?

There’s a good article from our Library that explains it very well. You can read it Here
@lanstan

 

[Jamie]

I am curious why some doctors cement in the new hip and some are the cement less approach. Any articles about it?

@Ianstan .... My surgeon told me that in years past, it was more common to use cement in hip replacements. But, as technology improved with the implant coatings that promote in growth of bone, there has been a switch to cementless as the standard. With the new coatings, there is better, more long-lasting bonding between bone and implant than you get with cement, so the success rate for the surgery has improved. I was on 50% weight bearing for 4 weeks, but my surgeon admitted that he's rather conservative about this. Not all surgeons have this restriction. And...he assured me that both components were VERY secure the day I left surgery. The cup is screwed into bone and the stem is tightly press fit into to femur.

I continue to discover new movements that make my walking progress a rather "up and down" experience. I can do just fine with a cane no matter what, but I'm trying to walk some each day without it around the house. I've discovered that I'm leaning when I walk without the cane and sometimes even with the cane. I tilt toward my unoperated leg slightly, probably from years of habit with a worsening right hip. Plus, I walk slightly bent forward and that probably comes from using the walker for a month and putting so much weight on it to keep weight off my new joint. Sigh...... So, now I'm consciously trying to walk standing perfectly upright and not tilt to the right. It takes some work, but I can walk better and with less pain or limping when I do this. My muscles are still weak around the joint, though. So I know walking is going to take me more time than I expected.

Also, I've discovered that years of a bad hip have created some soft tissue that needs to be gently stretched out. I went to lunch the other day with a friend and went to get up into my usual high-top chair. Not thinking it might be a challenge (I'm only 5'2" and a bit height-challenged), I hoisted my right (surgery) hip onto the seat. Ouch!!! I was up on it already when the pain zinger hit, but oh my.....it took two days to get over that stretch and I had to use the cane 100% of the time. But it did get better. I don't know what I was thinking because I was just now getting to where I could lift my surgery leg enough to get into the front seat of my SUV correctly and not have to sit down first and twist around to get in. Whatever made me think I could place that hip on a high top chair???

I've also learned that when trying to walk and get around without my cane, I do pretty well on flat, straight stretches. But in situations like working in the kitchen where you have to turn, pivot, and move from side to side, those movements are more challenging to me right now. If I'm not careful when making those motions without a cane support, I can stretch soft tissues and again get a little pain for a day or two in the groin. So, for me....this walking process seems to be going very slowly. But, even with the ups and downs, I do see slow steady progress this week from last week. I've only been on the cane for a little over 2 weeks, so I suppose I shouldn't be thinking I could magically now walk without it! (What???? I'm NOT SuperWoman????)

Today I spent some time today imagining and thinking about what life will be like months from now when I really can walk and move about normally. It was a nice trip and I hope I can maintain some level of patience to get there.

 

[Boofit]

Hi @Jamie , it looks to me that you are recovering well! I am over 4 months post-op and am still having to use the cane sometimes. I have pain in my upper thigh and in the hip joint and am thinking it may probably be due to weakened muscles having to wake up and work hard now!

Warmest wishes and hugs from Hong Kong!

 

[Jaycey]

But in situations like working in the kitchen where you have to turn, pivot, and move from side to side, those movements are more challenging to me right now.

I remember this well. After both THRs my new hips just hated any sudden pivoting or twisting. Just give it time. That non-weight bearing allowed muscles to further weaken. They will firm up around the implant in time.